VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- In his annual letter to all of the world's Catholic
priests, issued on Holy Thursday, Pope John Paul II will focus on his visit to
the Cenacle in Jerusalem: the site of the Last Supper.

The Pope's letter, made public on March 30, was actually signed on March
23, in Jerusalem, when John Paul celebrated Mass in the Cenacle chapel.

In his letter, the Holy Father relates how as he prays in the chapel, "Jesus is
present in my spirit, just as he was present to the apostles who were seated
at the table with him." The Pope concentrates especially on the figure of St.
Peter, his predecessor, and writes about the awe that St. Peter must have felt
as Jesus instituted the Eucharist.

"Nearly two thousands years have passed since that moment," the Pope
observes. "How many priests have repeated the gesture!" He writes of the
"exemplary disciples: saints, martyrs" among those priests, and emphasizes
that there are many such saints and martyrs within the Church today. "At
the Cenacle, I thank the Lord for their courage," he says.

The Pope acknowledges that the history of the priesthood has been stained
by the sins of the frail men who minister to the Church. And he adds that
even at the Last Supper, while it was Judas who betrayed Jesus, Peter too
would deny the Lord, and thus give the world an indication of human
weakness. "Surely, as he chose men like the Twelve, Christ had no illusions,"
the Pope writes. Rather, he chose to make himself present through frail
human instruments.

"Let us always celebrate the Holy Eucharist with fervor," the Pope urges his
fellow priests. "Let us stay, often and at length, in adoration before the
Eucharistic Christ?" He observes that the priest's witness, and in particular
his reverence for the Eucharist, will inspire the people.

The Pope's letter to priests also emphasizes the importance of the
International Eucharistic Congress, scheduled to take place in Rome on June
18-25, as "a central event of the great Jubilee."